Company | Abstract
About Abstract
Abstract, founded in 2023, has built a revolutionary platform to redefine security operations, launching the world's first AI-Gen Composable SIEM.
Abstract is crafted by category creators and industry veterans known for redefining the cybersecurity landscape. Abstract’s data and security expertise enables organizations to simplify data operations, route data to any destination without vendor lock-in, amplify threat insights and easily migrate or transition data routing between different SIEM destinations.
Our Mission
Detect and stop adversaries
what we've built
so far
380%
year-over-year ARR growth
280%
increase in new customers
264%
net revenue retention
40 (CY25)
strategic hires to support enterprise expansion
Our MANIFESTo
SIEM is a State of Mind
An Abstract State of mind by Colby Derodeff
Where is Hotel California? Some say it’s a boutique hotel in Todos Santos. Not according to Don Henley. Hotel California is a state of mind! An allegory. A metaphor.
When I say SIEM is a state of mind, I mean it is less about a single product or vendor and more about an organizational philosophy. This is the difference between SIEM and security operations. The word operations assumes processes, customization, people (training, specialization, tasks) and business support. A state of mind is a mindset: an orientation toward how you design, deploy, and evolve security data systems. Just like Hotel California never meant a physical hotel, SIEM in the modern era isn’t confined to one appliance or monolith. It is the shared approach that guides how data is collected, normalized, stored, and leveraged for detection and response. In this sense, describing SIEM as a state of mind implies that it is not a destination but a perspective, a way of thinking that emphasizes adaptability, modularity, and choice.
TLDR: The future of security operations is composable SIEM, where teams assemble data, detection, and operations workflows by design, not by vendor lock-in. AI-SOC fits naturally into this model as AI-enabled security operations workflow, embedded across the SIEM rather than standing apart from it.
Meet the Team
Colby DeRodeff
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Colby DeRodeff is a customer first, lead from the front executive with a strong background in scaling technology businesses. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Abstract, Colby leads the organization with a focus on delivering cutting-edge security solutions.
Previously the cofounder of Anomali, Colby played a pivotal role in developing industry-leading threat intelligence platform solutions. His career began at ArcSight, where he spent his early years helping build the world's first dominant SIEM platform.
Chris Camacho
Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder
Chris Camacho is Abstract's Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer (CRO). In this role, Chris is responsible for the go-to-market strategy, company vision, growth, collaboration, and client engagement.
Before co-founding Abstract, Chris served as both Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Revenue Officer at Flashpoint.
Aaron Shelmire
Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder
Aaron was pulled into cyber security with the Stakkato Intrusions. This began a long pursuit advancing the state of the art detection and analysis. It started with open source tooling including Snort, Prelude, and Zeek, and night-school graduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University. Then evolved to planetary scale while researching at CERT.org.
After responding to intrusions, creating detection criteria, and building detection systems and ranging from EDRs, TDRs, and CDRs at Secureworks, Anomali, and Palo Alto Networks; Aaron saw that the current approaches and systems were too slow, collecting more junk to add to the proverbial garbage heap of telemetry that overwhelms analysts with complexity and too many signals.
Christy White
VP of Finance
Christy is a strategic finance leader with over 15 years of experience scaling high-growth, venture-backed organizations. She began her career in Big Four consulting before sharpening her financial and operational expertise across early- and growth-stage startups.
Christy joins Abstract as the VP of Finance, where she is responsible for overseeing the Finance and HR functions.
Andrea Dazols
Director of Operations
With 17 years of experience in operations, Andrea's career has primarily focused on the cybersecurity startup space, where she has had the privilege of contributing to the success of leading companies such as ArcSight and Anomali. Throughout her career, she has collaborated closely with executive teams and departments across the organization to optimize processes that enable startups to scale rapidly while maintaining the agility and flexibility that are crucial to their success.
Jill Pescosolido
VP of Marketing
Vijay Kumar Sharma
VP, Engineering and Head of India Operations
Vijay is VP of Engineering and Head of India Operations at Abstract, bringing over two decades of experience in leading and scaling engineering teams. During his 11-year journey with Adobe, he led critical teams for Adobe Document Cloud Mobile initiatives. Outside of work, his interests lie in travel, photography, whistling, and blogging.
Justin Borland
Director of Threat Engineering
A proven technical leader in the security industry, Justin started his career with a Canadian Secret clearance while still in college. Currently, Justin is the Director of Threat Engineering at Abstract, and works with the Abstract Threat Research Organization (ASTRO) team to develop and implement threat detection content.
Justin Rogers
VP of Revenue Operation
Justin Rogers is the Vice President of Revenue Operations at Abstract, where he is responsible for aligning Go-To-Market teams, processes, and technology to drive growth. With over 20 years of experience in GTM strategy and operations within Cyber Security, IT Technology, and Intelligence Organizations.
Mike Anderson
VP of Partnerships
Michael Anderson is a USAF veteran, father, and cybersecurity leader, currently serving as the VP of Partnerships at Abstract With nearly two decades of experience, he specializes in building strategic relationships with channel partners and MSSPs.
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Steven Dietz
Director of Field Engineering
Steven Dietz brings over two decades of expertise in information security, SIEM solutions, and technical leadership. As a Principal Field Engineer, he excels in aligning product strategy with customer needs, crafting innovative solutions, and enabling sales engineering teams to succeed.
When not working, Steve enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
Richard Betts
VP, International
Rich Betts is a seasoned business leader with extensive experience in building and managing international operations for leading technology firms. Now at Abstract, he focuses on driving strategic growth and partnerships across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Based in Brighton, UK, Rich is a proud father to a son and daughter and enjoys cycling, travelling, and exploring new cultures.
Yang Cao
VP of APJ
As Abstract APJ VP, Yang drives customer acquisition and success in the Asia Pacific and Japan region. With over 15 years of extensive experience in the cybersecurity industry, Yang has established herself as a trusted leader and innovator. She has held pivotal roles at SAS, Anomali, and Intel 471.
OUr investors
We are proud to be supported by a group of visionary investors who share our commitment to innovation and growth. Their expertise, guidance, and belief in our mission enable us to push boundaries, create lasting impact, and drive the future of security operations. Together, we are building something extraordinary.
"Abstract's data-centric approach represents the future of detection. We are excited to partner with Colby and the entire Abstract team to contribute to a new paradigm in security: an approach that enables analysts to align security efforts to business value."
Matt Bigge
Partner at Crosslink Capital
Our Advisors
Jon Oltsik
Advisor
CISO
Major Hospitality Brand
Deputy CISO
Public Heathcare Company
"Defending against cyber-attacks is more difficult today than it's ever been. With the complexity of infrastructure and sheer volume of data that organizations must manage, today's security analytics teams are tired of the status quo," said Jon Oltsik, Advisory Board member of Abstract. "Working as an analyst and advisor has given me a unique perspective into the pain points of industry leaders, and that's why I'm so excited about the unique approach that Abstract is taking to solve the problems in the SIEM marketplace, and have the opportunity to support and guide the team as they grow."